Want to live a long and healthy life? Well, good news: finding a sense of purpose may be just the magical elixir you need!

New research, published last week in Psychological Science, suggests that having a greater sense of purpose may lead to a longer life, regardless of how old you are. The findings were based on a study of over 6,000 participants who were tracked during a 14-year period. Researchers found that the correlation between having a purpose and living longer held true for younger, middle-aged and older study participants, alike.

As researcher Patrick Hill told the Association For Psychological Science, “Our findings point to the fact that finding a direction for life, and setting overarching goals for what you want to achieve can help you actually live longer, regardless of when you find your purpose.”

Interestingly, the benefits seemed to exist regardless of other factors in one's life, including psychological wellbeing.

The researchers theorized that having a sense of purpose might lead people to adopt healthier lifestyles, accounting for the increased longevity.

Does this inspire you to start looking for your purpose? Here's some guidance on finding your calling. And here's a post to help you figure out if you've already found it.